Senate Committee Approves Mastriano Bill Mandating Holocaust Education in PA Schools

HARRISBURG - Just two days after the one-year anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel, the state Senate Education Committee today approved a bill introduced by Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33) that would require schools in Pennsylvania to teach students about the Holocaust.

"Students need to know the history of the Holocaust so they don't ignorantly believe the antisemitism we are witnessing is something new," Mastriano said. "Ignorance is the fertilizer of fear and hate."

Mastriano's Senate Bill 1100 would require Pennsylvania schools to teach students about the Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations. Schools also would have to post texts and course information online.

Mastriano saw a renewed need for the bill in the wake of the Hamas attack against Israel, which led to new and increased acts of antisemitism on university campuses and in society.

Many Jewish students reported feeling unsafe and intimidated on university and college campuses. Synagogues and other Jewish organizations faced vandalism and other threats.

The legislation would direct the State Board of Education to conduct a study analyzing the number of schools currently offering instruction about the Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations, and the curriculum they use.

It then directs the State Board of Education to adopt a regulation requiring schools to offer the instruction.

"We cannot afford for Pennsylvania students to be ignorant about history and the ways it is impacting the events we see live on our television screens and read about in the news," Mastriano said. "The purveyors of prejudice and bigotry prey on uninformed people who have not studied history. Knowledge is one of the simplest antidotes for ignorance."

Senate Bill 1100 now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

Constituents of the 33^rd Senatorial District can learn more about Mastriano by visiting his website at SenatorMastriano.com or following him on Facebook at Facebook.com/SenatorDougMastriano.

Media contact: Don Beishl
717-787-4651

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